Health Report: May 16, 1994

-- Under existing fda regulations, foods like jelly beans and soda can legitimately be labeled "healthy," since they're low in fat and cholesterol. No more, though: the agency has declared that the word can apply only to foods that are low in fat, sodium and cholesterol and contain minimum amounts of actual nutrients.

-- Nearsightedness appears to be genetic, and may someday be preventable with drug therapy. The possible culprit: a defect in the gene that determines the shape of the eyeball.

-- Chemotherapy before cancer surgery can lengthen survival time sixfold over surgery alone, says a new...